


Sunset, Sunrise

by Welcome_Remark



Category: Final Fantasy X
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-23 15:20:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16621484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welcome_Remark/pseuds/Welcome_Remark
Summary: Resting and recovering after the events of FFX, Wakka considers several new ways in which to move forward.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ulan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ulan/gifts).



The fire crackled merrily, the flames flickering in all directions as the wind caught them. Ashes and burning embers sparked as they struck the sand, sometimes flaring up again from a gust of wind, sometimes flickering and fading away. It was almost too warm tonight to bother with a fire, but that didn't matter. It was just one of those things, Wakka considered as he stared out across the ocean. If you came down to the beach for a bit of self-reflection, you had to make a fire. Otherwise you weren't really reflecting, you were just sitting, and if that were the case you may as well not have bothered to come out at all, especially when your home had beanbags to sit on.

There was a lot to think about. It had been a busy year. Certainly the most eventful of his life. Wakka hadn't asked for very much, being content with a quiet life on the beach with his Aurochs, almost never venturing farther than Luca for the annual tournament. But over the past few months, everything had changed, and he'd set foot in almost every corner of Spira since then, living a life more eventful than he'd privately thought was possible.

Not that there was anything wrong with travelling, of course. Spira was a beautiful place. But it was also a busy place, and in a relatively short length of time he'd taken part in the most unorthodox pilgrimage ever, tracked down and defeated the traitorous Omega, won a Blitzball tournament for the first time, and said goodbye to two of the closest friends he'd ever known.

And then, just as quickly as it had all started, it had finished. Yuna's pilgrimage had brought about what was even now being referred to as the 'Eternal Calm'. Kimahri had headed back to Mount Gagazet to start repairing some very ruffled feathers, or possibly fur. Rikku had vanished. And Lulu and Yuna had slipped back into their old lives, here in Besaid. Just as he had.

_Yep,_ he thought to himself as he sat back on the log, watching the flickering flames idly. _Enough adventure for me, thank you very much._

Besides, even though it had only been a week since they'd returned, there were a lot of changes going on in Besaid. The stories that the three of them had brought back with them had been enough to cause, to put it lightly, some minor changes in the teachings of Yevon. Temples would have to be redesigned and repurposed, for a start. Yuna hadn't wanted to cause a fuss about this, but there was no denying it. With what each of them had learned over the past month alone, let alone those that had come before it, the existing structure would simply not do any more.

Wakka kicked up a puff of sand as he considered this. He still wasn't entirely comfortable with it. He'd been brought up on old-school Yevon, and was having a harder time than his companions had had to shake the teachings away. But, he recognised, it was still the right thing to do. Rikku had shown him an entirely new world, and while he was quick to admit that he was still a few steps behind it, he was catching up fast. Auron had helped as well, in a gruff, no-nonsense kind of way. And Tidus, come to think of it...

Wakka sighed. Tidus, the biggest enigma of any of his companions. One day you're minding your own business on a beach, kicking a ball across the surface of the water, and the next day... what? Chappu's twin materialises out of mid-air, lands headfirst in the ocean, and changes your life forever.

For the better, Wakka amended to himself with a smile. Tidus had seemed to make everything around him better, just as Chappu had. They were both so... irritatingly likeable, for one thing, and tried hard to project that attitude to those around them. Men who made their allies stronger just by being there. Even Yuna, who had been devastated when Tidus vanished, had recovered speedily, with a strength and resolve Wakka had never seen in her before. The memory of him, and his whistle, was enough.

That was another similarity between the two of them, Wakka mused as he poked at the fire with a stick, shifting the embers around and releasing a cloud of smoke. Chappu's memory would never completely fade, of course, but despite how much he was missed, it was difficult to be sad while thinking of him. The arguments always seemed to give way to the more pleasant...

"You should come in now."

"Woah!" Wakka jumped, landing awkwardly on his back right next to the fire, spraying a fine film of sand across the glowing wood. As the firelight sizzled and sparked next to his head, he sat up and frowned as Lulu sat down, unconcerned, on the log next to his own.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, ya?" Wakka grumbled as he got to his feet. "I've had enough excitement for the rest o' this year."

"I think we all have," Lulu said in her soft, steely voice. "Enough for a lifetime, I suspect. And yet, every evening since we returned, you're out here on the beach, dwelling on the past."

"That's not all I'm doin', Lu," Wakka countered. "I'm enjoyin' my retirement, thank you so very much. Now that we're outta the Guardian game, I'm thinkin' I might get back into Blitzball." He struck a pose on the sand, as if balancing an invisible ball on his hand, then flicked it into the air and jumped, spinning and kicking before landing back on the ground.

"Maybe you should," Lulu offered. "I haven't seen that move before."

"Ahh," Wakka dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I picked up from... him, you know. Can't do it as well as he did, but it's a start, ya?"

"Tidus," Lulu said softly. "You can say his name, Wakka. I don't know why nobody ever did during our pilgrimage, but you can say it now."

Wakka sat back down on the log with a downcast expression. Tidus had been the catalyst for their entire adventure, he'd realised afterwards. Everyone had benefited, greatly, from having him in their lives. And now he was gone. Yuna was coping well, but Wakka still sometimes heard her crying at night. It was all he could do not to join in on occasion.

"He was... an interesting man," Lulu mused. "Perhaps not the brightest, but certainly a strong heart." She turned to face him, her expression suddenly direct. "And I'm certain he would not want you mourning his absence."

"Yeah," Wakka sighed. "You're right Lu. It's just," he rested his hands on his knees, "we don't even know where he is, for sure. Is he dead? Or gone back to his time? Could he eve..."

"No," Lulu interrupted, not unkindly. "He won't come back, wherever he is. And we live our lives just fine without him. Remember him, Wakka, but do not mourn."

Wakka shook his head. "Easier said than done."

"You'll do it, though." Lulu picked up a handful of sand and let it run through her fingers, watching the patterns it made on the ground. "You're back here now, on Besaid with all of us. And we keep each other strong."

"Mmm," Wakka nodded in a non-committed tone. It had seemed so much easier when they'd all been united, heading towards the same goal in the same way. Like a Blitzball team, he'd considered on more than one occasion, supporting each other as needed, working together and achieving whatever had to be done. Now that goal had been reached. Sin had been defeated, utterly. And... now, they weren't a team any more.

It was a little scary to think of, but it was also liberating, Wakka thought to himself as he and Lulu gazed across the beach. Before the pilgrimage, there'd been the full-time job of managing the Aurochs. Before that, he cast his mind back and grinned, there was Crusader training with Chappu. With one thing and another, he'd not really had much time to himself for as long as he could remember.

"So... what now?" Wakka asked as the fire crackled merrily on the beach. "Do you want to turn in for the night?"

Lulu considered this for a moment, resting a hand on her cheek as she thought. Finally making up her mind, she stood up, carefully dusting some of the loose sand from her dress.

"I'm going for a walk on the beach first," she answered. "It won't take too long; we don't exactly have a lot of it here. Do you want to join me?" she asked, looking sideways at Wakka with a curious expression that he completely missed.

"Sure," Wakka nodded. "I can never get enough o' this beach. Everything seems to start right here, ya know."

"Yes," Lulu said, almost to herself. "Everything does."


	2. Chapter 2

They walked across the beach in silence, taking care to stay above the rising tide line as the water slipped over the sand. It was hard to believe that, not so long ago, Wakka had been convinced that he'd never make it back to see this beach again - not in one piece, anyway.

Lulu was correct - the beach didn't stretch too far before rocks and cliffside made it too difficult to traverse, but the view was still magnificent. In one direction, endless sea, spotted here and there with fishing vessels and sea creatures. Another adventure for another time, Wakka grinned to himself. And, in the other direction, the whole of Besaid stretched out before them.

Through the trees, Wakka could see enough of the town to identify everyone's individual dwellings. Not difficult, considering the small number of people who lived there. Yuna's house, on the far side of the town, was already dark, and Wakka hoped she'd managed to get an early night's sleep for a change. And, silhouetted against the sky, the imposingly tall temple looked over the town.

"What d'ya think they'll do to the temple now, eh?" Wakka asked as Lulu walked silently beside him.

"What do you mean?" Lulu inquired. "Why should they do anything to it?"

"Well," Wakka scratched his head uncertainly. "Seems to me that they can't keep on teachin' the same stuff they have before. Not after everythin' we did, and everythin' we learned. What do you think'll happen to it?"

Lulu considered this for a moment. "Well," she said finally, brushing a loose strand of hair back over her shoulder, "If they have any common sense, they'll ask Yuna what she thinks."

"Good call," Wakka confirmed, satisfied. "After what the temples put her through, you'd think it'd be the least they could do."

He looked at the shape of the temple again, considering the possibilities. The temple itself had been constructed entirely around the teachings of Yevon. Inscriptions, messages and proverbs had been written and built into the very stones themselves, and it certainly wasn't very often that a faith as strong as Yevon was in a position to be credibly proven incorrect. Some of the citizens of Besaid had been adamantly demanding the temple be torn down, erased from the history of the town. A just fate, they claimed, for steering so many minds down a path which was now proven to be false.

"What do you think?" Lulu suddenly asked, her eyes staring straight into Wakka's. "What would be best for the town?"

Wakka raised an eyebrow at the sudden question, uncomfortably shifting his bare feet across the sand. He'd endeavoured not to join in with the current debate on Yevon and the temples, if only because he hadn't considered his own opinion on the matter to be consequential. The blind faith he'd put into Yevon in his youth - hell, adulthood too, right up until about halfway through their adventure - was now more than a little bit embarrassing. But as he tried to explain that to Lulu, she shook her head and held up a finger, interrupting him mid-sentence.

"No, Wakka. You have as much a right to your opinion as anyone. I would even say your viewpoint is a necessary one."

"Huh?" Wakka asked, puzzled, as they reached the edge of the beach and paused. "What's so special about me?"

"Well, you represent both sides of the current debate at the same time," Lulu pointed out, gesturing towards the temple. "On one hand, you were raised adamantly on the temple's teachings. They turned you into the man you are today."

"Yeah..." Wakka mumbled, looking out to the ocean again. "Not exactly somethin' I'm proud of."

"But you're a good man," Lulu reassured him. "You should be proud of that. Look at all we've been through together, and ask yourself. Would you rather things had turned out differently? Would you have acted in any other way, through all we've done?"

Wakka dug his toes into the sand before answering, blushing a little as he recalled more than one occasion when he'd been a bit of a pill. But then he considered everything that had happened. The small things, as well as the bigger ones. The conversations. The fights. And, most importantly, the friendships.

"Nah," he said, trying to inject a bit of playfulness into the conversation. "I think it turned out okay, ya?"

"And on the other hand," Lulu continued, not missing a beat, "You were there for it all. You met Yunalesca. You met Sin. You met the Al Bhed. You had your faith stripped down around you. Apart from the rest of us, you were the first to learn the truth about Yevon." She cocked her head, and continued. "It must have been quite a blow."

"Maybe it was," Wakka said quickly, knowing full well that Lulu - and the rest of his companions - had been there for his little... episode... in the Al Bhed Home. "But so what?"

"So," Lulu finished, "You're conflicted. You've had to endure both sides of this debate, not just from Yevon and the people around you, but inside your own head. You're the product of both points. Which is more important?"

Wakka considered this, squatting down in the sand for a moment. He watched a tiny red crab scuttling across the ground, letting his brain work in the background as he moved his feet out of the way of the crab's path towards the water. He chewed his lip for a moment, but the answer wasn't forthcoming. It was too complicated for a single person to make a decision.

"Seems to me that both sides are important," he began, uncertainly. "I mean, the temple may have taught us a whole lot of stuff that isn't true, but..."

He stood up suddenly, making his decision, and returned Lulu's gaze with a certainty she'd rarely seen from the man before.

"But it also teaches us things that are good for us, even without Yevon. Treat each other nicely, respect those who respect you, and be the best person you can be," Wakka continued, recalling some of the lessons he'd learned as a child from the temple. "Seems to me that they make all of us into better people, too." He turned to face the temple, peering through the scattered trees. "And if we tear the temple down, no-one will learn from their mistakes, ya? This could be the best way to teach people about what we got wrong, as well as right."

"It's not like you to not pick a side on this," Lulu pointed out from behind him. "You've certainly changed a lot since this all started."

"I'm just tryin' to see every angle here," Wakka countered. "Somethin' like this is too important to rush into, I think."

Lulu walked up beside him, following his gaze through the trees. Standing beside him in the cool night air but still looking at the temple, she spoke softly. "Take my hand."

"But if Yevon wants to atone for everything, then... they'll..." Wakka trailed off into silence as his ears caught up with his brain. Turning to face Lulu, he asked in a confused voice, "Huh?"

"Take my hand," Lulu repeated, still not returning his gaze as she extended her hand gently.

Wakka looked at Lulu's outreached hand, with a puzzled expression. He started to hold his own hand out, hesitated, then pulled it back. "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, Wakka. You're thinking too much." Lulu finally turned to face Wakka, for all the good that did him. As usual, her expression was unreadable to him. "You're my friend, and we're walking back to our fire on the beach. Why not hold hands?"

"'Cause..." Wakka struggled, his hand still suspended between the two of them. "'Cause we're... well, you're my friend. And... I'm..."

Lulu waited patiently while Wakka struggled to find a way to complete his sentence in the least embarrassing way. His eyebrows creased and danced as his face jumped through a variety of expressions, each - she had to admit - cuter than the last. It wasn't hard to fluster the poor man. Finally, his lips still moving, Wakka finished the thought. "...Your f...friend?"

"Yes," Lulu smiled, in an intentionally playful voice. "We're friends." She looked at his hand for a moment, still hanging in the air between them. "Now, friend, will you take my hand? And then we'll walk back to the fire together."

"Um..." Wakka murmured slowly. "S-sure... if, you know, if you..."

"If you don't want to do it," Lulu pointed out, "you only need to say so."

"No! No, it's not... not that. I... er..."

It was all Lulu could do not to start laughing, listening to Wakka babble his way through an explanation. As powerful a warrior as he was, she knew there were still many things he wasn't entirely comfortable with, and it was always fun to pull on the strings a little bit. Finally taking pity on him, she stepped forward and took his hand herself, letting her fingers slide in between his own.

"Come on," she interrupted as Wakka stammered to find the right words. "Let's go back, before it gets too cold." She tugged gently at Wakka's hand, leading the man back across the sand towards the firepit in the distance.

As they walked, she felt Wakka flex his fingers now and then, as if gently massaging her hand. She wondered whether he was aware he was doing it. It didn't feel unpleasant, though it certainly felt hesitant. Bless him, he still wasn't entirely certain what was going on.

"You've got a strong grip," she tried, much as one might poke at a bruise to see when the pain would come.

"Well yeah," Wakka responded, his eyebrows creased in puzzlement. "Comes from... throwin' all those blitzballs around, ya?"

They walked in silence for another minute, hands still held, while Lulu sniggered to herself. She tried again.

"And a nice chest, too."

He didn't respond to that one, though she did notice he was walking a bit slower. Lulu took the opportunity to take a longer glance at the man. Teasing as she was, she had to admit that he did have a very nice chest.

"Now you say something," she prompted.

"Gah," Wakka mumbled, looking for all the world as though he'd rather be anywhere else. "I... like your chest too. I think it's... er..." he stopped, a shocked look on his face as he realised what he'd just said.

"Oh?" Lulu said playfully, seizing the moment. "Do you mean..." she slipped her hand out of his grasp and turned to face him, leaning forward slightly. "...These?" she finished, looking down at her breasts.

Wakka gulped, his face now red enough to almost shine through the night sky. "Wait, no. I didn't..." he stammered, awkwardly avoiding her gaze.

"It's all right," Lulu continued, her voice as steady as ever. "You can look."

As Wakka slowly turned his head, frozen mid-speech, to look at Lulu, she leaned a bit further forward, letting her dress hang a little more loosely from her arms. Her purple necklace dangled in the air, framing her neck as the dress slipped slightly lower down her frame. By the time Wakka had managed to drag his eyes onto her body, the dress had slipped almost far enough down to leave her breasts completely exposed.

"Ghn," Wakka managed to say.

"Well? You said you liked my chest. There's a lot more of it to see, now." Lulu grinned. "Do you still like it?"

"Er... ya?" Wakka squeaked, his eyes torn between looking at Lulu and looking back towards the safety of the village. When she straightened back up after another minute, pulling her dress back up to cover her body, he looked equal parts relieved and disappointed.

"So," she teased as she took Wakka's hand again. "Now... are there any other parts you 'like'?"

Wakka took a deep breath, steadying his voice as much as he could before continuing. "Lu..." he began. "What's... goin' on? Are we..."

"No," she interruped again. "We're not." She tugged at his hand again, leading him back across the beach.

"Well..." Wakka started, shyly. "What if I said I... like, if I wanted..."

"Oh, it will happen," Lulu confirmed, forcing herself to look ahead at the fire as she heard Wakka gasp in surprise. "But not right now. It's not the right time."

Wakka spoke quickly, as if her admission had given him confidence. Either that or, Lulu considered, he was afraid of losing his chance. "What do you mean, the right time?"

Lulu smiled again, letting her steely demeanour give way to a more playful expression. "You're cute when you flustered," she commented as they walked, Wakka struggling to keep up in more ways than one. "I just mean, I'm not quite ready... yet. Our time will come."

Walking around the last bend in the beach, they finally reached the firepit. Wakka started to walk past, back up towards the buildings, but as Lulu dropped his hand to sit down by the fire, he turned back, still wearing his confused expression.

"Sit with me," Lulu asked, more gently. "There's something I'd like to show you."


	3. Chapter 3

Something was happening here. On a tiny little beach on a tiny little island at the south end of nowhere, something was happening. It was confusing, more than a little embarrassing, and it was making Wakka blush more than he could ever remember doing before. And while he still wasn't entirely certain what it was, he knew he didn't want it to stop.

If only he could work out whether it had actually started yet.

It's not as if there was a tactful way to ask. Lulu was a closed book at the best of times, he reflected. Her relationship with Chappu had been short-lived, and watching it from the outside, he hadn't seen a lot of affection. Not nearly as much as some of the other couples on Besaid island, that was for sure. And many times in Luca, when he'd been in the Blitzball arena as the lights flashed and the umpires screamed and the ball hit the back of the net belonging to the goal that was almost always his own, he'd seen more than one couple... celebrating... in the stands. That was the behaviour he'd come to expect from couples, which made perfect sense - until he tried substituting Lulu into one of those memories. There was just something... not right about it.

Chappu hadn't told him much, and he'd not thought it was his place to ask. They were well past the point of being bragging schoolchildren, after all. But, the few times he'd spoken about it, Chappu had always been quick to volunteer that, underneath her stony demeanour, there was still a lot of passion.

That was usually about when Wakka's brain had shut down. Chappu was happy, Lulu was happy, and that was all he had any right to know about.

"Man..." he said under his breath. "Wish you were here now, buddy. I could use some advice, ya?"

It occurred to him that, were Chappu actually here, Lulu and he would still be together. So maybe not the best thing to hope for.

She hadn't left him a lot of space on the log. If he joined her, they'd be sitting very, very close together.

"What exactly are you worried about, Wakka?" Lulu asked, still patting the log beside her. "I won't bite you."

"Nah, I know that. I just..." Wakka thought for a moment. "With what you said, on the beach. How it's not the right time. Does that mean... I mean, is this..." he waved his hand between the two of them, "are we...?"

"I told you we're not. Not yet."

"But... then why..." Wakka trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

Lulu smiled, moving her hand away from the log. It still wasn't an expression Wakka saw cross her face very often, but now it seemed more warming than it had before. He also couldn't quite shake his gaze away from her dress, where now and then, through the multitude of crossing belts, he could see a fair amount of thigh.

"You're searching too hard for meaning, Wakka. For a reason." Lulu looked into his eyes, and behind her steel expression there was a sparkle of gentleness he hadn't quite noticed before. "Sometimes you don't need to understand everything. There are always reasons," she continued calmly, "but there's often a simple choice at the heart of them."

Wakka scratched his head. "And what's the simple choice here?"

"Well," Lulu pointed out, "you could go back to your home and sleep, or you could come here and sit with..."

In two quick strides, Wakka crossed the beach and sat down on the log beside her.

"...me. There, you see?" Lulu calmly continued, trying hard not to giggle. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" She slipped easily across the log to sit closer and rest against Wakka's shoulder. The poor man was shivering. Despite the situation, now was not the time to laugh.

They sat for a few more minutes, neither of them saying a word, as the fire crackled away on the beach. One of the larger logs finally gave way under the weight of the rest, and with a cracking sound, collapsed into the embers, causing a small cloud to billow up into the night sky. Neither of them moved.

Still resting against Wakka's body, Lulu slipped a hand across his lap, resting it gently on his hip, holding him closer. He didn't resist. She was half expecting him to jump, or start shivering harder, but the gesture actually seemed to calm him down somewhat. Still not talking, she stayed still for another minute, until the quivering slowed, then stopped. She didn't pull her hand back.

Wakka tilted his head slightly, resting back against her, considering what she'd said as he stared over the fire and out into the ocean. He had what felt like a dozen questions, and twice as many concerns, but somehow there wasn't any need to ask them. Not right away, at least. Lulu was clearly comfortable here, and even if they weren't... together... then that was still a good thing for a friend to feel, wasn't it? And then, presumably in the future some time, maybe something else would...

Still lost in thought, he felt a gentle pressure under his chin. He turned his head, instinctively, right into Lulu's waiting lips.

The kiss lasted almost a minute. Lulu held his face gently in place with her hand under his chin, eyes closed, lips pressed against his, but with no other movement at all. Wakka's mind raced, faster than it ever had before, trying to work out where his hands should be, where his body should be, should his eyes be open or closed, and so many other variables that, when the kiss ended, he was shocked to find his head had not exploded. As she opened her own eyes to look at him, he hurriedly tried to find a way to apologise for what he was certain had been a lackluster experience for her. He'd often wondered how his first kiss would feel, but in all the scenarios he'd played out in his mind, there'd always been a lot more time to prepare for it.

He opened his mouth and started to stammer something, but Lulu gently placed a finger on his lips.

"It felt wonderful."

"Bu..." he leaned back to look at Lulu. "I thought... you sa..."

"I said it wasn't the right time," Lulu reminded him, flicking her hair back as she stood up and turned to face him. "Now it is."

And as Wakka watched her, completely unmoving, she dropped her hands to her waist.

"The right... time," Wakka repeated slowly. "Does that... mean that we're..." he trailed off, mesmerised, as he watched one of Lulu's belts hit the sand.

"Oh, Wakka," Lulu smiled as she pulled at another of her belts. "I honestly wasn't going to push, tonight, but..." she dropped her second belt and leaned over to start on her third. "You're just so..."

"Ya... I know. I'm... cute..." Wakka finished for her, still not moving. If he dared, if he reached out to touch her, then he knew he'd wake up from this dream, back in his bed, and knowing his luck, too late for breakfast.

"You are," Lulu confirmed, standing up with the third belt in her hand. There was now a much larger gap in the belts than there had been before. "And it looks like you're well equipped, too," she continued, unabashedly staring at his crotch.

Wakka looked down and gulped. He was almost completely erect, and his blitzball outfit was doing a completely inadequate job at hiding that fact.

"S-sorry," he stammered, awkwardly shifting and moving his hands to cover himself as best he could.

"Oh, I think we're well past that now," Lulu grinned, brandishing another belt which clattered to the sand. "As long as..." she paused for a moment, "...you want to be."

Wakka blinked. There'd been a lot of demands on his thoughts tonight, and now this... this was happening. It was clearly overwhelming him, and while Lulu would be the first to admit that that only made him cuter, it also wasn't fair. Not for this.

She paused in the act of undoing another belt, and sat down again on the log. Wakka had barely moved.

"Wakka," she said softly. "It's time for another choice."

Nodding gently, Wakka carefully rested his hand on Lulu's back. When she didn't flinch, or resist, he started rubbing it as softly as he could. Despite his muscles and calloused fingers, he was surprisingly gentle, and Lulu found herself shivering in pleasure, even through her dress.

Softly, Wakka spoke, no longer stammering. "And what happens if I don't head home to sleep?"

Lulu leaned forward, and this time, Wakka did too. The kiss was much shorter, but felt much more powerful.

"In thirty seconds," Lulu whispered softly, "if you're still here with me, I'll be completely naked."

She leaned back, savouring Wakka's expression. There was still a fair bit of nervousness there, but there was also something... powerful. Wakka was a brave and passionate person both in and out of the arena, she knew, and she found herself hoping he could recover from his nerves enough to bring those traits into play tonight.

He hadn't retreated. That was a good start. Twenty-five.

"I'd quite like it," she continued, "if you followed suit, you know. And then... well..."

Twenty. She stood up. Wakka watched, his expression still nervous, but a bit more... hungry.

Keeping her eyes fixed on his, she slipped her hands inside her outfit, leaving the sleeves hanging loosely by the side. He watched, still not moving, as she carefully loosened the neck of the outfit from inside, easing it a bit further down her shoulders.

Wakka hadn't dared to move. This was far too important to miss. He wanted to watch every bit of what was about to happen, wanted to burn it into his memory forever. Everything; the colour of her skin against the night sky, the firelight reflected in her eyes, every single sound of one belt after the other falling to the sand.

Ten seconds. Lulu slipped one arm up and out the top of her outfit, pushing one side almost all the way down to her breast. Her dress swayed against her body precariously, her opposite shoulder the only thing left that was holding it up.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stop?"

Wakka closed his eyes for a moment, the only time he'd broken his gaze. Then he nodded, and opened them again. "Please, Lu. Don't stop."

Lulu smiled, sliding her other hand through the neckline of her outfit. As she stretched her other hand over her head, her dress slid down her chest, catching on her breasts for a moment. Then, with a slight shake of her body to loose the outfit, it dropped down to her waist, slowed as it slipped around her hips, and then fluttered to the ground, leaving Lulu poised, stretching up to the sky, completely naked.

"Wow," Wakka commented.

"That's all you have to say?" Lulu teased. "I was hoping for something a little more eloquent."

"No, I mean... you..." Wakka stared, eyes wide open, taking in all of Lulu from bottom to top. Her slender legs were almost perfect straight lines, completely unmarked. Her hips swayed slightly out from her body, neatly framing the small patch of dark fuzz just above her vagina. Lifting his gaze, he took in her slim belly, adorable belly button and all, and then... her breasts. Exposed to the night sky - and to him - with perky, erect nipples and a curvature that barely sagged at all, even without any support. The small part of his brain that wasn't preoccupied with the sight wondered vaguely if there was magic in play here, then decided it didn't care.

"You're perfect," he gasped. "I... don't know what else to say."

Lulu smiled as she lowered her hands to her shoulders. She ran them down the side of her body, grazing gently over her breasts before letting them rest on her hips. Wakka watched them move, almost hypnotised, as they slid over her thighs, gently gliding across her skin.

"Then don't say anything," she said softly. "You don't need to."

Carefully, slowly, she knelt down in the sand in front of Wakka, raising a hand to rest on his leg.

"You don't need to," she repeated, her hair slipping across her body as she lifted her hand higher.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite what it represented, Wakka had never particularly enjoyed wearing his Blitzball uniform. The material was rough against his skin, the colours were gaudy, and the fastenings had a habit of popping open at the most embarrassing moments. But worst of all, the armour was... inadequate, to say the least. All of the padding was distributed between the arms and legs, leaving the groin wide open; not a particularly enviable design given the nature of the sport, and many a time Wakka had taken his position in the court with his legs slightly crossed.

Lulu's hand was climbing steadily up his thigh. Up until now, he realised in the back of his mind, he'd never realised the benefits of anyone having easy access to his bits.

Still a bit too stunned to do anything else, he leaned back slightly to admire the view. Lulu's hair was still tightly tied, but there were always a few slips loose, and as she leaned further forward he watched them slide over her bare shoulders and hang loosely on either side of her breasts. She smiled as she followed his gaze down, her hand resting just beside his erection.

"I'm glad you like them," she said warmly. "Do you want to touch them?"

Wakka nodded, afraid of speaking lest he start stammering in embarrassment. Lulu's skin looked gorgeous even at the best of times, but here with the firelight shining, not to mention there being far more skin than he was used to seeing, she was just... well, as he'd said before, there simply weren't words.

"Soon," she grinned as she returned her attention to his hips. "First, I get to touch you."

Lulu's hand stayed still for a moment as she looked over his uniform. The design, Wakka considered in the back of his mind. That was another downside. It was difficult and time-consuming to get into even for him, with belts, straps and fastenings in some of the most inconvenient places imaginable. He didn't want to think about what would happen if Lulu couldn't figure out how to remove it - another round of blushing, most likely, and some of the most awkward conversation he could imagine. She was hesitating, right now, and Wakka couldn't be certain if it was from confusion or just to build up suspense. It was hard to imagine Lulu being confused about anything, and yet...

He breathed deeply as he felt Lulu's hand slide between the layers of fabric around his hips. One by one, without any hesitation, he felt the straps and bindings loosen.

"How d..." he began.

"It wasn't hard," Lulu smiled. "You just have to know where to look. Now, lift up for a moment?"

Wakka lifted his body, ever so slightly, from the log. Lulu slipped her fingers up to the metal fastening on his belt and played with it for a moment, twisting it to the side. The metal click sounded across the sands of the beach as the belt came undone. Breathing heavily, watching in disbelief, Wakka stared as she grabbed his armour in one hand and trousers in the other, sliding them down easily from around his waist and leaving his erection exposed.

"Oh my," Lulu commented in an impressed tone. "Very impressive, Wakka."

Wakka lowered his body back onto the log, shifting a bit as he felt the bark against his bare skin. He thought for a moment, trying to think of something - anything - to say in reply to that. He'd never had the opportunity to compare himself to anyone else, so truth be told, he had no idea how 'impressive' he was. But from the look on Lulu's face, and it was a look he'd never even imagined seeing on her face, she was certainly appreciative.

"Now," she said softly as her hands returned to his body, leaving his trousers on the sand. "Why don't you take off your chestplate, and I'll... have my fun? If you don't mind," she said playfully.

"S...sounds good to me, Lu," Wakka whispered, beginning to fumble with his armour. Her fingers started to reach up to his cock, carefully avoiding touching anywhere else, and he watched as she started to reach around his shaft. She was certainly very good at teasing, he realised, as she artfully kept her hand wide enough open to avoid any contact, even as her fingers closed around him.

"Remember," she warned, teasingly. "Don't make too much noise, or the whole village will come to see what's happening." And, as Wakka opened his mouth to reply, she closed her hand, gripping the base of his cock as tightly as she could.

Wakka gasped out loud as she started massaging his body. The feeling was so sudden and intense; not just because of where she was touching, but simply touching him at all. While many of his other companions had not been averse to high-fives, arms on shoulders, maybe even a hug or two, she'd steadfastly kept her hands to herself through the entire pilgrimage. He'd imagined her touch would be strong and authoritative - and it was - but there was a surprising gentleness there too, not unlike what else he'd seen so far tonight. It certainly was a night for discoveries.

Then Lulu slowly started moving her hand faster, and he decided maybe coherent thought was overrated.

"You're rigid," Lulu commented, her normal controlled and steadfast voice now tinged with a tone of wonder that he'd not heard before. She squeezed her fingers tighter, pushing her hand all the way down to the base, and Wakka threw his head back and bit his lip, trying to keep from moaning any louder than he already was. "And I love watching you do that. Tell me," she continued as she rubbed him faster, "how good this feels?"

"Ffff..." Wakka tried to speak, then took a deep breath as Lulu kept pumping his shaft. Between moans, he managed to whisper "Feels good. Can I..."

"What is it, Wakka?" Lulu asked, playfully refusing to slow down. "You can tell me."

Wakka tried again, but every time he started to speak, Lulu would squeeze harder, or move her hand suddenly faster, and he'd moan too loudly in response to be able to speak. Finally, he managed to stammer, "Can I... touch you too?"

Lulu grinned, leaning back a bit as her hand slowed down. She carefully brought her movements to a stop, then opened her hand, listening as Wakka's breathing slowly returned to normal. "I'd like that," she informed him, "but only if it means I don't have to stop as well."

Wakka just had enough time to agree before she continued. "We'll need to shift a bit."

Moving back from the log, Lulu reached down to gather up her gown. Wakka took the opportunity to look over her body once again; appreciating as much as he could about her. It wasn't only her body, he realised, that was so captivating - it was also the way she moved. So much of her body was normally hidden by her outfit that, even with the expansive gestures needed to summon and fling fire and lightning at their enemies, he'd never fully appreciated the poise and grace she exhibited when she moved. Now he could see all of her, and even her simple movements as she started spreading the gown on top of the log were captivating enough that he almost forgot to admire and appreciate all of the less... mundane... parts.

"Lift up for a moment?" she asked, bending over to slip the gown underneath Wakka's body and cushion both of them from the log. "That should be a bit more comfortable." She finished sliding the outfit into place, then let her fingers gently slide across his hips as she withdrew her hand. 

"Sounds good," Wakka opined, taking the moment to undo the last fastenings on his chestplate. As Lulu sat down on her gown, pushing part of it aside to make more room, he placed his chestplate on top of the rest of his armour. It wasn't until he'd straightened back up that he realised, in a detached way, that he was for the first time in his adult life completely naked in front of another person.

"Goodness," Lulu commented as her gaze swept over his body. "You've got more muscles than I realised. No wonder you made such a good Guardian."

"Well, I'm hopin' I can be gentle too, ya?" Wakka sat down carefully beside her, moving as close as he could.

"I'm sure you can," Lulu reassured him as she took his hand in hers. "Start here," she said softly as she guided his hand up to her breast, closing her fingers once again around his shaft.

Wakka breathed deeply as she started sliding her hand up and down his cock again, trying to keep his focus. He'd barely imagined touching anyone else, let alone Lulu, and as much as he wanted to make her feel as good as he could, he was acutely aware of how sensitive her body might be. It would be hard enough to focus at the best of times, even without her ministrations keeping him distracted.

_Maybe,_ he thought to himself as he closed his fingers carefully to cup her breast, _I can do some distracting of my own._ Taking a deep breath, trying to keep himself focused, he started gently rubbing Lulu's skin, massaging her warm breast in the palm of his hand.

He'd half expected a similar noise of appreciation from her, or maybe even a quiver of pleasure at the sensation. Instead, Lulu tilted her head back and moaned even louder than he had been, her hand all but coming to a stop on his cock. Bolstered, he pressed a little harder, kneading his forefinger and thumb to squeeze, gently, against her nipple.

"Wakka..." Lulu moaned, finally collecting herself enough to respond. "That... is perfect." She shook her head gently, eyes closed, letting herself melt into him as he kept going.

Carefully reaching his other hand around her back, Wakka caressed her opposite breast, flexing his arms to bring Lulu's unresisting body closer to his own. As she moaned and sighed under his fingertips, her hand slid from his waist and dropped to the log between them. He didn't care. Her expression, happier than he'd ever seen her before, was more than worth losing the feeling of her hand on his penis. And the noises she was making were a very nice bonus, too.

He kept massaging her nipples for what felt like an eternity, gliding his thumbs smoothly over each one in turn. Keeping them gently squeezed in his hand, he moved across them in circles, then straight lines, changing direction every chance he could. Sometimes pressing into them, sometimes simply gliding across the top, sometimes hard enough to drag them under his thumb, sometimes not. Realising he was still feeling more than a little nervous, he listened as carefully as he could to the noises Lulu was making, dreading the possibility of causing her pain or annoyance.

"How..." Lulu managed to gasp in between moans, "...did you manage to get so good at this?" She pulled back, reluctantly, to fix Wakka with a grin that was far more devilish than he'd ever seen before.

"I don't know," Wakka admitted, truthfully. "I'm just listenin' to the noises you're makin', and..." he shrugged, "...tryin' to take my lead from them. That's okay, isn't it?" he asked, matching her grin with his own.

Lulu ran her hands over her breasts for a moment, then smiled. "I don't think I need to answer that, do I?"

"If you say so," Wakka answered, a little bashfully. "So... you want me to keep goin'?"

"I hate to say this," Lulu said as she leaned in for another quick kiss, "but no." She nuzzled her head into Wakka's neck, kissing just underneath his chin, and Wakka gulped as she closed her fingers around his cock again. "I have a better idea."


End file.
